Mapion

What Mapion does

Mapion is a Japan-only map and local information platform operated by ONE COMPATH CO., LTD. Founded in 1997 as Japan's first internet map information service, Mapion provides web and smartphone applications for nationwide map search covering all 47 Japanese prefectures, including address, postal code, station, and Japanese mapcode lookup. Core functional modules include route planning (driving, transit, walking via 乗換案内 and ドライブルート), distance measurement (キョリ測), weather forecasts, a tourist map module, news, and travel/hotel search. The platform's flagship commercial product is the Mapion Phonebook (マピオン電話帳), a nationwide business directory that charges merchants a ¥24,000 annual subscription plus a ¥10,000 setup fee, with an optional ¥500/month recommendation placement tier. Enterprise offerings include Mapion Biz (store and dealer locator APIs, custom mapping solutions) and LocalONE (store management platform). Revenue is generated through three primary channels: display and local-business advertising against an audience of roughly 17–22 million monthly users, recurring phonebook subscriptions from SMB merchants, and Mapion Biz enterprise/contract revenue, with a smaller premium membership stream historically billed via credit card and now limited to Japanese carrier billing (docomo, au, SoftBank). Distribution is primarily product-led/self-serve via web and smartphone for consumers and direct sales to merchants and enterprises for paid listings and APIs; cross-promotion partnerships with Shufoo! (Japan's largest shopping flyer service) and aruku& (walking app) provide additional reach into Japanese consumers. Mapion is privately held under the ONE COMPATH corporate umbrella with no disclosed equity funding rounds, no public listing, and 51–100 employees.

Name

Mapion

Legal name

ONE COMPATH CO., LTD.

Website

https://mapion.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Mapion, operated by ONE COMPATH CO., LTD., is a Japan-focused web and smartphone map and local information platform founded in 1997, offering nationwide map search, route planning, weather, tourist maps, a national business phonebook, and enterprise mapping APIs to Japanese consumers, SMB merchants, and enterprise customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Mapping and Local Directory Services

NAICS

Surveying and Mapping (except Geophysical) Services (54137)

akta.pro primary industry

Mapping & Basemap Platforms (Tiles/SDKs) (BPAMANAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

POI, Local Listings & Business Directory Platforms (BPAMANAD), Transit, Traffic & Mobility Data Platforms (BPAMANAH), Consumer Navigation & Turn-by-Turn Apps (BPAMANAA)

Keywords

• Online mapping services
• Local business directory
• Route planning tools
• Digital map platform
• Business phonebook listings

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. Advertising: Mapion generates revenue through banner advertisements and targeted advertising placements on its platform. The site attracts high-traffic users searching for local businesses and directions, making it valuable for local商家 advertising. Ad formats include banner ads and map-linked promotional content.
2. Phonebook Listing (Business Directory): Premium business listings on Mapion Phonebook. Businesses pay annual fees to appear in the directory with enhanced profiles including photos, business hours, homepage links, and email. The Simple Plan costs 24,000 yen/year plus 10,000 yen initial setup, with optional recommendation placement services for 500 yen/month.
3. Mapion Biz (Enterprise Solutions): Enterprise-focused mapping solutions and API services for business customers requiring location-based functionality integration.
4. Premium Membership: Paid premium services for enhanced functionality. As of 2025, new subscriptions use carrier billing (docomo, au, SoftBank) only, with credit card payment discontinued.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Mapion operates a Japan-wide internet map information search platform that allows users to locate addresses, places, postal codes, stations, and map codes across all 47 prefectures. Beyond core mapping, it offers driving and transit route planning, walking distance/calorie measurement, weather forecasts, a national business and residential phonebook directory, tourism maps, hotel/travel information, and enterprise mapping solutions (Mapion Biz) including store locator APIs.

Product overview

Mapion is a comprehensive Japanese map information platform offering a unified core mapping service (マピオン) that provides nationwide map search, address lookup, route planning (driving and transit), and distance measurement tools. The platform operates through multiple integrated service modules including the phonebook directory (マピオン電話帳) for business listings, weather forecasts, travel/hotel information, news content, and tourism mapping. Enterprise solutions include Mapion Biz for business mapping needs and LocalONE for store management. The ecosystem also includes partner services like Shufoo! for shopping information and aruku& for walking reward programs. The service was established as Japan's first internet map service in 1997 and attracts approximately 22 million monthly visitors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Mapion Biz: Corporate-focused map solution service providing store locator, handling store search, and various API services for business customers.

Products and services

• Mapion Core Map Service (マピオン) Japan nationwide map information search service allowing users to search by address, place name, postal code, station name, and map code. The core mapping platform for individual consumers and businesses across Japan.
• Mapion Phonebook (マピオン電話帳)

Quantifiable outcome

• 17 million monthly users accessing phonebook listings
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Shufoo! (シュフー)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerShufoo! is Japan's largest shopping information content service, integrated into Mapion as recommended content. Mapion displays Shufoo! flyers and promotional content, providing cross-promotion benefits. This is a mutual content partnership where Mapion users can access shopping information while Shufoo! gains distribution through Mapion's 17+ million monthly users.
• aruku& (あるくと)minorGTM or Marketing Partneraruku& is a smartphone walking app where users earn regional local products by walking. Mapion partners with aruku& to deliver promotional content and engage users in the wellness/lifestyle segment. The partnership expands Mapion's reach into mobile-first users interested in local discovery.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Zenrin: Japan's leading commercial map data publisher, providing residential maps and navigation datasets that power many Japanese services including いつもNAVI. Comparable as a Japanese mapping data and platform business but operates more as a data wholesaler than consumer destination.
• Mapbox: Global location platform providing maps, navigation SDKs, and APIs for developers. Comparable in the B2B/API mapping business Mapion Biz addresses, but operates at much larger scale across geographies and developer ecosystems.
• HERE Technologies: Enterprise location platform serving automotive, logistics, and enterprise customers with map data and APIs. Comparable to Mapion Biz's enterprise/API offering but with deeper automotive OEM and logistics integrations globally.
• INCREMENT P: Pioneer-owned Japanese mapping data company producing high-precision map data and solutions. Comparable as a Japan-focused mapping platform/data provider serving both consumer and enterprise markets.

Direct peers

• いつもNAVI: Japanese consumer navigation app developed through Pioneer and Zenrin, offering turn-by-turn driving, walking, and transit navigation. Direct competitor in Japan's consumer navigation market with strong automotive-pedigree feature set.
• NAVITIME: Japan-leading transit and multimodal routing platform offering driving, transit, and walking navigation. Direct competitor to Mapion's route planning features with deeper transit specialization and stronger mobile UX.
• Bing Maps: Microsoft's consumer and enterprise mapping platform with API services — comparable to Mapion's combined consumer mapping and B2B API offerings, though with negligible Japanese consumer market share.
• Yahoo! Map: Yahoo Japan's mapping service, tightly integrated with the Yahoo! Japan portal and search engine — competes directly with Mapion for Japanese local-intent queries and benefits from Yahoo Japan's massive domestic search distribution.
• Apple Maps: Global consumer mapping platform pre-installed on every iPhone in Japan; competes for Mapion's consumer navigation audience and increasingly features detailed Japan-specific data, transit, and Look Around coverage.
• Google Maps: Google's consumer mapping platform is the dominant mapping service in Japan and globally, offering turn-by-turn navigation, Street View, transit, and rich local POI data — directly competing with Mapion for Japanese consumer and SMB search traffic.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mapion_jp

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mapion